Lessons from St. Lawrence for the Regent Park Redevelopment Process, for the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, by: GHK International (Canada); Greenberg Consultants Inc.; Markson Borooah Hodgson Architects; David Millar Associates; Connelly Consulting Services, April 2003.

This report explores the St. Lawrence neighbourhood. As an example of a recently developed, mixed-use, mixed-income, inner city Toronto community St. Lawrence provides valuable lessons for Regent Park revitalization.

Literature on neighbourhood redevelopment planning both for HOPE VI programs in the United States and for urban revitalization strategies in Canada provide useful information on what constitutes appropriate income mix, urban design, and amenity planning goals in redevelopment initiatives. However, most of these studies stress that redevelopment success is dependent on a range of local socio-economic, political and market conditions thereby making it difficult to borrow models from other cities when developing a redevelopment framework. Consequently, we have decided to explore the strengths and weakness of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood in order to provide insights on how successful re-development might be achieved in Regent Park.

The following paper provides a brief overview on neighbourhood re-development literature and then focuses specifically on literature that highlights the strengths of St. Lawrence neighbourhood according to local planners, architects and community groups. This overview is complemented by findings from a focus group that was conducted with St. Lawrence residents to understand their perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of the area. Finally, this paper provides recommendations for guiding the redevelopment of Regent Park to towards a stable, mixed-use, mixed income neighbourhood.

Why the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood 

Because successful redevelopment initiatives from the US and Canada are contingent on local politics and economic issues, the Toronto Community Housing Corporation requested us to look to a successful Toronto example for guidance. In terms of best practices in recent neighbourhood regeneration and community development, Toronto’s St. Lawrence neighbourhood provides an excellent framework for policy and planning interventions in Regent Park. 

According to a range of literature on the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, the area exemplifies best practices in planning that incorporates:

• a broad mix of housing tenure and types for a range of incomes;
  
•  a range of amenities and community services; and
  
•  an open and democratic planning framework shaped by collaborative processes including planners, community organizations and all three levels of government. 
  

By emphasizing social mix in St Lawrence, planners did not seek to impose social engineering, but provided an opportunity for a full range of social groups to live together in the neighbourhood. This planning direction meant the area avoided developing into either an exclusive wealthy community, accessible to only certain high-income groups, or an area with a “housing project” atmosphere. 

 A key to the success of St. Lawrence was the openness and democratic nature of the planning process that facilitated decisions reflecting the complexities of neighbourhood dynamics. The planning process encouraged community participation through the creation of a working committee comprised of a range of stakeholders representing community members, planners and City officials to assist with not only urban design issues, but in determining the location and design of elementary schools, shops, restaurants, a health clinic, and a health club. The human scale approach to the site plan and building form and the goal of developing a socially mixed neighbourhood also helped create a stable, mixed-income community. 

Conclusions and Recommendations 

Many of the points addressed in this report were previously explored in the December 2002 Regent Park Revitalization Plan. The principles identified in that report, which form the basis for much of the planning work, include statements about involving the community in the process, building and recognizing cultural diversity and creating a diverse community with a mix of uses, incomes, housing and building types.

The recommendations contained in the December report propose:

• that the principles be adopted as the foundation for work on future phases;
  
• that every effort be made to achieve a diversity of built form, design, tenure uses and mix of incomes through the revitalization process;
• that the community be fully engaged in the process; and
  
• that community agencies in the vicinity of Regent park and the surrounding neighbourhoods be consulted as part of the revitalization process.

The recommendations below expand on additional points that emerged through the research described in this report including the discussions with the residents of the St Lawrence neighbourhood.

Recommendations: 

1. That the Toronto Community Housing Corporation create a working committee composed of resident representatives of Regent Park, representatives from the surrounding community organizations, community-based agencies, local business organizations and representatives from the architectural and planning professions to advise on the revitalization process.
   
2. That in order to develop interventions to strengthen economic development opportunities in Regent Park, the TCHC establish an economic development advisory committee for Regent Park revitalization to include resident representation, local business associations, community-based agencies, the City of Toronto Economic Development Department, Human Resources Development Canada and other business representation as appropriate.
   
3. That in accordance with the implementation proposals outlined in the Toronto Community Housing Corporation’s report on tenant management, every effort be made to create effective tenant management structures for both existing and new buildings or appropriately scaled groups of buildings in Regent Park based on the principle of “community housing units”.
   
4. That TCHC explore with the City of Toronto the opportunity to use the new Federal Provincial Housing Program to create non-profit and cooperative housing developments as part of Regent Park revitalization with participation by religious based organizations, community agencies, labour unions and multi-cultural communities.
   
5. That TCHC pursue the possibility of integrating its RGI units into non-RGI buildings as much as possible as part of the Regent Park revitalization initiative.
   
6. That TCHC work with the City and its other partners through the revitalization process to provide for the highest quality design and finishes for public spaces including lighting, street furniture and playground facilities in the new Regent Park.
   
7. That TCHC request the Regent Park Residents Council to explore opportunities for involving new residents in community activities as the redevelopment proceeds.
   

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